Galileo is banking on growing as a team

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Bouncing back: From left, Ronzel Fox, Kyle Nelson, Nestor Acosta and Dontell Jackson will provide leadership on a Galileo team that took its lumps in 2011.

The Galileo football team had one of the youngest groups in the Academic Athletic Association in 2011 and, in several moments last season, that inexperience was glaringly evident.

With 20 players from last season’s 31-man varsity roster being underclassmen — including 12 sophomores — the Lions missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and in the roller-coaster year, the lows were stunningly low.

The first low was a 55-14 home loss to Berean Christian that exposed the a weak offensive line. Then came a 66-6 loss to Mission, a 53-19 loss to Balboa and a 62-14 loss to Washington.

When things went bad, the young Lions didn’t know how to stop the bleeding.

But now those sophomores, many of whom started at key positions last season, have a year of varsity experience under their belts.

“They’re growing, and not just physically,” Galileo coach Mark Huynh said. “As a coach, what’s encouraging is seeing them grow mentally and emotionally.”

The two places where improvement was greatly needed last season — defense and the offensive line — are still question marks, but the Lions may have the most talented collection of offensive skill-position players in the league, and maybe the best all-around player.

One of those sophomores who is now a junior, running back Ronzel Fox, led the Lions in rushing yards (903 on just 121 caries) and touchdowns (8), added 377 receiving yards and three more touchdowns (good for second on the team) and led the team in tackles (108) as a linebacker.

“He’s the difference between playoffs and no playoffs,” Huynh said. “If he wasn’t here, it would be hard for sure.”The bruising but soft-spoken tailback’s stats were impressive, but watching him on plays where he doesn’t have the ball speaks more to his attitude toward the game. Fox almost never leaves the field, and even when he’s blocking on an interception or on special teams, odds are, an opposing player will hit the turf.

“I like to give the hits, instead of taking them,” Fox said. “It’s the player I am and it’s how I was brought up. I was always the youngest, playing with all the older kids.”

On defense, the Lions allowed 39 points per game in the AAA last season and often struggled to make tackles with defenders in their grasp.

“At the Washington game last year, I took a snapshot of the scoreboard as a reminder,” Huynh said. “I mean, they scored over 60 points. This is high school football. Nobody should be scoring 60 points. The goal is to not ever let anybody do that again. The kids might have short memories, but I don’t.”